Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)

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Headquarters Location:
Los Angeles, CA
Founded:
1985

Mission:
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality.

Story:
Today, August 9, GLAAD and the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) announced that “José Luis Sin Censura" -- which is basically Estrella TV's far worse Spanish-language version of Jerry Springer that for several years aired virulent anti-gay, anti-Latino and anti-female…
Read the full story.

Expert Reviews: Evidence of Impact

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) works to ensure positive media portrayal of the LGBT community. Their approach is both proactive and reactive. They work hard to promote positive imagery and praise those who are doing good work, as well as publicly sanction negative statements and imagery. Given the salient role of media in modem times, GLAAD’s work greatly impacts public perception as whole.
See the complete expert review.

Leadership

Herndon Graddick.
GLAAD's National Board of Directors announced Herndon Graddick as President of GLAAD on April 14, 2012. Prior to this role he served as Vice President of Programs and Communications. He oversees GLAAD's work to create a LGBT-inclusive media landscape and share stories that grow acceptance of LGBT people and build support for equality. He leads GLAAD's programs in National &…
See full bio.

Transparency Information

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Story:
Today, August 9, GLAAD and the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) announced that “José Luis Sin Censura" -- which is basically Estrella TV's far worse Spanish-language version of Jerry Springer that for several years aired virulent anti-gay, anti-Latino and anti-female content -- has been permanently removed from the network's broadcast schedule. The show's removal comes after a campaign that included 18 months of sustained effort from GLAAD and NHMC.

During the year-plus long campaign, dozens of organizations and thousands of individuals were mobilized, many via a petition at Change.org. To launch the campaign, GLAAD and NHMC filed a nearly 200-page formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and subsequently contacted dozens of major advertisers whose ads appeared during the program. The campaign resulted in an ongoing investigation by the FCC and a number of advertisers withdrawing their support of the show, including AT&T, Time Warner Cable, and Western Dental. Click here to see a timeline of the campaign

To view video footage of the violence against LGBT people which was featured and encouraged on the show, along with photos of the delivery of the Change.org petition calling on LBI to take action visit: http://www.glaad.org/jlsc.

José Luis Sin Censura was certainly in a class of its own, as it was certainly not representative of the standard being set by other Spanish-language news and entertainment media, most of which continue to improve in presenting stories of the LGBT community that grow acceptance. On this show it was common to hear an entire studio audience chant the words “puñal” or “maricón” (“f*ggot”) at a guest or “puta” or “piruja” (“whore”) at a female guest. But the problem was never the show’s audience members or even its viewing public, but rather that the show’s producers were flagrantly exploiting and encouraging its audience (including viewers) to use anti-gay, anti-women and anti-Latino language for ratings.

For this reason, GLAAD President Herndon Graddick stated, “The company should now join so many other Spanish-language broadcasters in presenting stories that inspire and create change, not fuel a climate of intolerance and violence.” It's worth noting that that the overall number of hate murders of members of the LGBT community has increased by 11%, according to the National Coalition of Anti Violence Projects. So truly this is, as NHMC President & CEO Alex Nogales stated, "a hard-fought victory for tolerance, inclusion, and decency and it is further proof that programming that degrades or threatens the safety of entire segments of our population has no place in this country."

Expert Reviews of
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)

Evidence of Impact Summary:

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) works to ensure positive media portrayal of the LGBT community. Their approach is both proactive and reactive. They work hard to promote positive imagery and praise those who are doing good work, as well as publicly sanction negative statements and imagery. Given the salient role of media in modem times, GLAAD’s work greatly impacts public perception as whole.
See expert comments.

Organization Strengths Summary:

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has exceptional marketing ability. This translates into their ability to cultivate donors, to share their work, and to make valuable connections with media partners. GLAAD’s work with the media is well rounded. They not only speak out against inappropriate media portrayals, they also offer training for those who are interested and praise for those who have done exceptionally well. The organization has strong and passionate leadership.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) may need some improvements in leadership. Having experienced some leadership changes recently, there is room for growth at the Executive Director level. Also, the Board may need restructuring. They may also wish to offer some form of training for nonprofits to expand their reach. GLAAD could also use improvement in staff morale and clarity of priorities.
See expert comments.

Expert Comments: Evidence of Impact

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Researchers and Faculty (R)

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Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)

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Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)

Media Watchdog

N

Given that media is probably the greatest force in shaping attitudes and impressions, GLAAD has consistently fought against negative portrayals of LGBT characters. They have shined a light on subtle forms of bigotry in the press. I know in Los Angeles, at the heart of the entertainment industry, they have a lot of influence.

R

GLAAD is the leader in fighting the culture wars on LGBT issues. They are both reactive and proactive, responding to anti-LGBT statements and representations in the media, and working tirelessly to promote positive images in the media, including in non-English publications and media markets.

N

They are a media watchdog. For instance, when Nigel Lythgoe, a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance," made a homophobic remark on national television, GLAAD got right on it.

Improved Media Messaging

N

They are responsible for campaigns that result in changes, better media images of the LGBT community, and stronger, more consistent media messaging. Their impact can also be seen in the increased reach for organizations they support.

N

Their impact can be seen in the fact that media representations of LGBT people continue to improve.

Great Marketing

The staff members are dedicated, talented, accessible, and responsive. Their connection with key media is phenomenal and their outreach to the Latin media is great.

R

GLAAD does a terrific job raising money and cultivating donors, both individual and foundation. They also have a robust public presence in the media, and a slick, sexy brand. It works in the contexts within which they do their work.

Sanctions & Support for Media

N

GLAAD not only watches for inaccurate and hateful messaging, but they provide training and support to local people and nonprofits to better handle media and messaging.

N

They give awards to people in the media who have been especially supportive of queer people or portrayed queer characters in the media.

Leadership

N

They could improve in the areas of leadership, clarity of priorities, and staff morale.

R

There has been some leadership instability and transition in recent years, mostly due to Rashad Robinson leaving the organization (he was amazing, and is now doing amazing work at Color Lines, another terrific organization), and the premature resignation of Jarrett Barrios, who, in my opinion, was wholly unsupported by the GLAAD Board. The Board may need to do some restructuring, in my opinion, but the new leadership on the staff side (Herndon Graddick, etc.) seems strong.

Nonprofit Training

N

I think they could improve by providing more training for nonprofits. Since that would require increased capacity, I would suggest that they offer some templates nonprofits could use.

Leadership

Herndon Graddick
President

GLAAD's National Board of Directors announced Herndon Graddick as President of GLAAD on April 14, 2012.
Prior to this role he served as Vice President of Programs and Communications. He oversees GLAAD's work to create a LGBT-inclusive media landscape and share stories that grow acceptance of LGBT people and build support for equality. He leads GLAAD's programs in National & Local News; Entertainment; People of Color; Religion, Faith & Values; Advertising; and Spanish-Language Media programs. Under his leadership, GLAAD has engaged in numerous highly visible and impactful campaigns including ‘Stand Up For Ellen,’ which prompted the group One Million Moms – a project of the American Family Association – to end their call for J.C. Penney to fire Ellen DeGeneres as its new spokesperson because she is gay. Graddick also oversaw GLAAD’s work on the Commentator Accountability Project – an initiative launched in March 2012 to highlight the extreme rhetoric of anti-LGBT activists who currently appear in national news outlets. He is leading efforts with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) on the “I AM: Trans People Speak” video series as well as with film director Brett Ratner to develop a series of videos with GLAAD featuring high-profile celebrities and public figures speaking out for LGBT equality. Graddick has also put resources behind GLAAD’s work to share stories of LGBT people of color and allies with African American media, sports media, and Spanish-language news outlets, among other areas.
Graddick previously served as GLAAD's Deputy Director of Media Programs. Graddick successfully led GLAAD's efforts to file a complaint with the FCC against the anti-gay Spanish-language talk show "Jose Luis Sin Censura," and remove anti-gay language from Universal Pictures' 2011 film trailer for "The Dilemma." Graddick also oversaw successful efforts to create a partnership with the NBA and the Los Angeles Lakers following the use of an anti-gay slur by Kobe Bryant.
Graddick comes to GLAAD after serving as the Executive Producer of the Global Observatory, a media and communications effort conceived by former President of Costa Rica, Jose Maria Figueres, and Clinton Administration advisor, Aimee Christensen, and which aims to raise public awareness around the climate change crisis.
Recently, Graddick served as a Supervising Producer at E! Networks. Prior to E!, Graddick was the first strategic programming hire for CURRENT TV, the youth-oriented news and entertainment network created by former Vice President Al Gore and entrepreneur Joel Hyatt. At CURRENT, Graddick served as day-of-air news division director.
Graddick's scope of work at the network included supervision of production, editing and broadcast of several packaged pieces of television per day. He spearheaded CURRENT's television and broadband programming partnership with Google, serving as the key point-of-contact between former Vice President Gore and Google Chairmen Larry Paige and Sergei Brin. Upon completion, he headed the development and execution of Current's programming partnerships with Yahoo, Inc.
Previously a producer with Cable News Network (CNN), Graddick contributed to the creation of daily primetime news and current events programming such as "Paula Zahn Now," "Anderson Cooper 360," and "Live From the Headlines."
Graddick's early years in media were diverse – as a field producer, writer, researcher, and assignment editor—working closely with CNN International, American Morning, Larry King Live, Inside Politics, and Headline News.
Graddick is a graduate of the University of California with a Bachelor of Arts and Science – American History & Psychology.

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